Oak Park IL Film Festival Returns This September

The Oak Park IL Film Festival recently announced its return for the third year, running September 16, 19 and 20, 2026 and early bird tickets are officially on sale for part of the festival. The Oak Park, IL Film Festival is an annual celebration of cinema, bringing together filmmakers, audiences, and the Oak Park community to showcase films with a unique Oak Park connection—whether through content, cast, crew, or setting. 

The Oak Park IL Film Festival will kick off its “Hollywood Film” opening night at Lake Theatre on Wednesday, September 16 with a screening of Enough Said, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener and starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini. Tavi Geninson, an actor in the film and Oak Park native, will join audiences for a pre-recorded Q&A before the screening. Stay tuned for an announcement regarding tickets on sale for Oak Park IL Film Festival Opening Night.

Weekend passes for screenings taking place on September 19 and 20 will allow guests into all films and events at the Madison Street Theater and can be purchased for $60 plus fees during the early bird discount period, and $70 plus fees thereafter. There are only 30 early bird tickets available and can be purchased now by clicking here.

Before the festival begins, film lovers can support the festival by attending Film Fest Favorites on August 19th at Nineteenth Century Charitable Association in Oak Park. This event will include screenings and Q&As of award-winning films from the last two festivals, including Run directed by Daniel John Harris, Bat directed by Gitanjali Kapila, Inferno directed by Wendy Roderweiss, and How We Roll directed by Anthony Ciancio. Doors will open at 6:30pm with the program starting at 7:00pm, including a festival preview announcement by Board President Joyce Porter. Admission will be by donation with a suggested minimum of $10. Any donations of $25 or above will be listed in the festival’s printed program and on the website. For more details on this Film Fest Favorites event, go to opilff.org.

The Oak Park IL Film Festival is actively accepting interest for festival sponsorship, as well as taking donations. Details on both can be found at opilff.org.

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